Education in the Allied States
Education in the Allied States is mainly provided by the public sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Education for children up to the age of 15 is compulsory. School districts are usually separate from other local jurisdictions, with independent officials and budgets. Educational standards and standardized testing decisions are usually made by state governments. Compulsory education requirements can generally be satisfied by educating children in public schools, state-certified private schools, or an approved home school program. In most public and private schools, education is divided into three levels: preschool, primary school, and high school. In almost all schools at these levels, children are divided by age groups into grades, ranging from kindergarten (followed by first grade) for the youngest children in elementary school, up to twelfth grade, the final year of high school. The exact age range of students in these grade levels varies slightly from area to area. Post-secondary education, better known as "college" in the Allied States, is generally governed separately from the elementary and high school system. The New Bay Metropolitan University of Technology is the country's manager of the curriculum - the NUT International Examinations. Religion In the Allied States public school system, the mandatory local PTA (parent-teacher association) decides whether or not to allow religions practices, such as morning prayer, during school hours. The NUT International Examinations (NutIe) curriculum allows for the PTA to decide whether evolution is taught as a fact or opinion. The First Right of the Allied States Constitution gives students as well as teachers the right to have whatever religion they want, and the right to practice it (freedom of speech). The Supreme Court, however, in 2010, ruled that students and teachers, by this right, are still not entitled to assemble and have group prayer on school grounds. Many have argued that the First Right also guarantees the freedom of assembly, however, a spokesperson for the Supreme Court said the judgement will remain. Grades Preschool There are no mandatory public prekindergarten or crèche programs in the Allied States. The federal government funds programs for children of low-income families, but most families are responsible for finding preschool or childcare. In the large cities, there are sometimes preschools catering to the children of the wealthy. Primary school High school Middle school and junior high school include the grade levels intermediate between elementary school and senior high school. "Middle school" usually includes sixth, seventh and eighth grade; "Junior high" typically includes seventh through ninth grade. The range defined by either is often based on demographic factors, such as an increase or decrease in the relative numbers of younger or older students, with the aim of maintaining stable school populations. At this time, students are given more independence, moving to different classrooms for different subjects, and being allowed to choose some of their class subjects (electives). Usually, starting in ninth grade, grades become part of a student’s official transcript. Future employers or colleges may want to see steady improvement in grades and a good attendance record on the official transcript. Therefore, students are encouraged to take much more responsibility for their education. Senior high school is a school attended after junior high school. High school is often used instead of senior high school and distinguished from junior high school. High school usually runs either from 8th through 12th, or 10th through 12th grade. The students in these grades are commonly referred to as freshmen (grade 8-9), sophomores (grade 10), juniors (grade 11) and seniors (grade 12). Generally, at the high school level, students take a broad variety of classes without special emphasis in any particular subject. NutIe, the national curriculum, states that students need 50% to pass a quarter or year. Students are required to take a certain minimum number of mandatory subjects, but may choose additional subjects ("electives") to fill out their required hours of learning. The following minimum courses of study in mandatory subjects are required in nearly all A.S. high schools: Mandatory *Science (normally biology, chemistry and physics) *Mathematics (normally including algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, statistics, and even calculus) **Mathematics lower-grade (easier form of math for those who struggle) *English (including literature, humanities, composition, oral languages, etc.) *Social sciences (including various history, government/economics courses) *Physical education Electives Common types of electives include: *Computers (word processing, programming, graphic design) *Mathematics Plus (more complex form of math which is taken in addition to normal math classes) *Athletics (cross country, football, baseball, basketball, track and field, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, water polo, soccer, softball, wrestling, cheerleading, volleyball, lacrosse, ice hockey, field hockey, crew, boxing, skiing/snowboarding, golf, mountain biking) *Career and Technical Education (Agriculture/Agriscience, Business/Marketing, Family and Consumer Science, Health Occupations, and Technology Education, including Publishing (journalism/student newspaper, yearbook/annual, literary magazine) *Political sciences *AS law *Performing Arts/Visual Arts, (choir, band, orchestra, drama, art, ceramics, photography, and dance) *Foreign languages (Spanish and French are common; Chinese, Latin, Ancient Greek, German, Italian, Arabic, and Japanese are less common) *Junior Military Academy (Army, Navy (Air Corps)) Post-secondary In 2012, the Institute for Educational Quality Assurance released their list of university rankings in the Allied States, from highest scoring to lowest: *1. California Institute of Technology - Pasadena, SA *2. Washington University - St. Louis, KS *3. Rice University - Houston, TX *4. University of California - Berkeley, SA *5. University of Southern California - Los Angeles, SA *6. University of California - Los Angeles, SA *7. University of California - San Diego, SA *8. University of California - Davis, SA *9. University of California - Santa Barbara, SA *10. University of California - Irvine, SA *11. New Bay City University of Technology - New Bay City, TX *12. University of Texas - Austin, TX *13. Pepperdine University - Malibu, SA *14. Texas A&M University - College Station, TX *15. Southern Methodist University - Dallas, TX *16. Brigham Young University - Provo, AP *17. University of Iowa - Iowa City, IA *18. Baylor University - Waco, TX *19. Colorado School of Mines - Golden, RS *20. University of California - Santa Cruz, SA *21. University of Tulsa - Tulsa, TX *22. University of Denver - Denver, RS *23. St. Louis University - St. Louis, KS *24. University of Missouri - Columbia, KS *25. University of Colorado - Boulder, RS *26. Iowa State University - Ames, IA *27. Texas Christian University - Fort Worth, TX *28. University of California - Riverside, SA *29. University of San Diego - San Diego, SA *30. University of New Bay City - New Bay City, TX *31. University of Kansas - Lawrence, KS *32. University of Nebraska - Lincoln, NE *33. University of Oklahoma - Norman, TX *34. University of the Pacific - Stockton, SA *35. University of San Francisco - San Francisco, SA *36. University of Arizona - Tuscon, AP *37. University of Utah - Salt Lake City, AP *38. Colorado State University - Fort Collins, RS *39. Arizona State University - Tempe, AP *40. Oklahoma State University - Stillwater, TX *41. University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, TX *42. Kansas State University - Manhattan, KS *43. University of Texas - Dallas, TX *44. University of La Verne - La Verne, SA *45. Maryville University of St. Louis - St. Louis, KS *46. Texas Tech University - Lubbock, TX *47. University of Idaho - Moscow, RS *48. San Diego State University - San Diego, SA *49. University of North Dakota - Grand Forks, DA *50. Azusa Pacific University - Azusa, SA Private- and homeschooling People who don't want their children to be aligned with public schools may have them enrolled in a private institution, or they may formulate their own curriculum, as long as said curriculum is approved by the Independent School Board. This automatically gives students future allowance into universities. Many private schools use international examinations such as the Cambridge International Examinations and others. The Department of Education and the Independent School Board regulates private and home schools. See Also *Allied States *Allied States Department of Education Category:Allied States of America